Hacking Forum Darkode Shut Down By International Operation

Darkode became notorious as a gathering place for cyber criminals, where they could buy malicious software and tools.

Hacking groups such as the now infamous Lizard Squad were known to frequent the forum before it was shut down by a coordinated international operation, which involved law enforcement agencies from 18 countries, writes Samuel Gibbs for The Guardian.

Coordinated international operation shuts down hacker forum

Attempts to access the site are now met with a notice which features the logos of the agencies involved, including the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Europol and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).

Top value fund managers are ready for the small cap bear market to be done

During the bull market, small caps haven't been performing well, but some believe that could be about to change. Breach Inlet Founder and Portfolio Manager Chris Colvin and Gradient Investments President Michael Binger both expect small caps to take off. Q1 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more However, not everyone is convinced. BTIG strategist Read More

More than 60 forum users have been identified and arrested in countries including Israel, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, India and Romania, where 16 of the hackers were based. Reports claim that the FBI’s Pennsylvania field office directed the operation.

The Darkode forum was home to some of the most dangerous cybercriminals, who used the site as a marketplace for stolen data, credit card numbers, hacking tools and security exploits.

Rise and fall of Darkode

The site was founded in 2007 and quickly became a place where hacking tools were sold between a select group of hackers. A coder known as Iserdo founded the forum, and its early success was based on his “Mariposa” botnet, which was sold through the forum. Access to Darkode was by invitation only, which only increased its popularity, and it was hosted on “bulletproof” servers designed to prevent tracking by law enforcement.

In 2011 the site became a subject of interest for security researchers, and Darkode administrators tightened access protocols in response. The internet relay chat server that they set up was used by Lizard Squad, who later attacked Sony, Microsoft, Taylor Swift and various other targets.

Darkode’s popularity began to dwindle as members became increasingly paranoid about infiltration by law enforcement and security researchers. One researcher, Brian Krebs, has written a series of reports on Darkode and the malicious software on sale on the site, and administrators attempted to have him banned.

Reports in the Brazilian media state that the Federal Police opened an investigation into hackers in March, working in partnership with the FBI. Law enforcement arrested several people and seized equipment related to the site.

While studying economics, Brendan found himself comfortably falling down the rabbit hole of restaurant work, ultimately opening a consulting business and working as a private wine buyer. On a whim, he moved to China, and in his first week following a triumphant pub quiz victory, he found himself bleeding on the floor based on his arrogance. The same man who put him there offered him a job lecturing for the University of Wales in various sister universities throughout the Middle Kingdom. While primarily lecturing in descriptive and comparative statistics, Brendan simultaneously earned an Msc in Banking and International Finance from the University of Wales-Bangor. He's presently doing something he hates, respecting French people. Well, two, his wife and her mother in the lovely town of Antigua, Guatemala.
To contact Brendan or give him an exclusive, please contact him at [email protected]

FOLLOW VALUEWALK ON

ABOUT VALUEWALK

ValueWalk.com is a highly regarded, non-partisan site – the website provides unique coverage on hedge funds, large asset managers, and value investing. ValueWalk also contains archives of famous investors, and features many investor resource pages.

The Life and Career of Charlie Munger

You can learn from Charlie Munger firsthand via this incredible ebook and over a dozen other famous investor studies by signing up below:Charlie is more than just Warren Buffett’s friend and Berkshire Hathaway’s Vice Chairman – Buffett has actually credited him with redefining how he looks at investing. Now you can learn from Charlie firsthand via this incredible ebook and over a dozen other famous investor studies by signing up below:

Learn from the best and forever change your investing perspective

One incredible tidbit of knowledge after another in the page-turning masterpiece of a book

Discover the secrets to Charlie’s success and how to apply it to your investing